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A Coastal Art Deco Home Gets a Sensitive Family-Friendly Makeover
A tired postwar cottage is transformed into a delightful, modern holiday home that celebrates its original charm
In this Q&A series, we turn the spotlight on one thought-provoking renovation or redesign each week. Here, Sophie Solomon, principal architect at ssd studio, reveals how she renovated and extended a two-bedroom, one-bathroom 1940s house to create a breezy, beachside holiday home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms to accommodate two families.
The original facade
What was the house like originally?
A single-storey, postwar, semi-detached house.
Is this the year to update your home? Find a local architect on Houzz to chat through plans for your dream home
What was the house like originally?
A single-storey, postwar, semi-detached house.
Is this the year to update your home? Find a local architect on Houzz to chat through plans for your dream home
The facade after works
Gained
Gained
- A new, light-filled second storey housing two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
- A new rear portion of the house with an open-plan kitchen/dining area.
- A feature timber pergola that frames the transition between inside and out, with a built-in barbecue carrying through the line of the dining-room joinery outside.
- Reworked the original living room, entrance and ground-floor bathroom.
The original terrazzo front steps were retained and restored
The kitchen before works
What wasn’t working for the client about the original house?
It was dark and cramped with a bad connection to the courtyard, and it didn’t have enough bedrooms.
What wasn’t working for the client about the original house?
It was dark and cramped with a bad connection to the courtyard, and it didn’t have enough bedrooms.
The new space under the stairs has been utilised for kitchen storage and to house the fridge
What was the brief?
What was the brief?
- A new second storey housing more bedrooms and a bathroom.
- A better connection to the backyard.
- Upgrades to the landscaping.
- A feeling of relaxed lightness that reflects the home’s coastal location.
The original floor plan
What were the client’s must-haves?
What were the client’s must-haves?
- More bedrooms.
- An open-plan kitchen and dining room with a good connection to the courtyard.
- Natural light.
The new ground-floor plan
What exactly did you do?
We demolished everything apart from the front of the house (with its original stucco render, tiled roof and terrazzo steps), the front bedroom, living room, entry and bathroom. The retained rooms were all gutted and redesigned.
We added a new second storey, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
What exactly did you do?
We demolished everything apart from the front of the house (with its original stucco render, tiled roof and terrazzo steps), the front bedroom, living room, entry and bathroom. The retained rooms were all gutted and redesigned.
We added a new second storey, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The new first-floor plan
What was the budget?
Around $850,000.
Where did most of it go?
Rebuilding the new rear portion of the house and the second-storey addition.
What was the budget?
Around $850,000.
Where did most of it go?
Rebuilding the new rear portion of the house and the second-storey addition.
The sink in the new kitchen is positioned to take in views of the side garden
What challenges did you work around during this project?
Our original design had a much larger void and the first floor was not set back. Council would not approve this and we had to redesign the first floor.
What challenges did you work around during this project?
Our original design had a much larger void and the first floor was not set back. Council would not approve this and we had to redesign the first floor.
The backyard before works
Talk us through the design of the pergola
We wanted to connect the indoor kitchen/dining areas to the outdoors and chose to install this timber pergola. The area is not large, so this slatted design has an open and generous feel, but at the same time it gives the owners a sense of privacy from the adjacent apartments that overlook it.
We wanted to connect the indoor kitchen/dining areas to the outdoors and chose to install this timber pergola. The area is not large, so this slatted design has an open and generous feel, but at the same time it gives the owners a sense of privacy from the adjacent apartments that overlook it.
The built-in barbecue carries through the joinery from the dining room for indoor-outdoor flow.
The pergola is finished in light Victorian ash decking board and edged in bamboo.
How Do I… Choose Timber Flooring for Indoor-Outdoor Flow?
The pergola is finished in light Victorian ash decking board and edged in bamboo.
How Do I… Choose Timber Flooring for Indoor-Outdoor Flow?
The living room before works
Why do you think this renovation and addition work so well?
There is now a generous sense of space, light and calm in the home.
Why do you think this renovation and addition work so well?
There is now a generous sense of space, light and calm in the home.
Natural finishes and muted coastal colours set a laid-back holiday vibe
Tell us about the void in the stairwell
The skylight over the stairs and adjacent void and windows give framed views of the rooftop and sky, boosting the sense of space and catching the sea breezes.
The open stair and void design also boost passive cooling by creating cross ventilation and a stack effect to release hot air, drawing cool air through the ground-floor rooms.
The skylight over the stairs and adjacent void and windows give framed views of the rooftop and sky, boosting the sense of space and catching the sea breezes.
The open stair and void design also boost passive cooling by creating cross ventilation and a stack effect to release hot air, drawing cool air through the ground-floor rooms.
Tell us about the deep window frames
The house is small and the addition is a simple box, so the protruding and recessing windows create a feature to both the corner and sides of the house. Lining them in timber accentuates their depth while adding a sense of character. Views are framed and directed towards the rooftops and sky.
The detailing hints at maritime construction – of a weatherboard shack on the coast. Over time the timber will age to grey.
The house is small and the addition is a simple box, so the protruding and recessing windows create a feature to both the corner and sides of the house. Lining them in timber accentuates their depth while adding a sense of character. Views are framed and directed towards the rooftops and sky.
The detailing hints at maritime construction – of a weatherboard shack on the coast. Over time the timber will age to grey.
What does the new work achieve?
It creates a feeling of space through clever planning, materials selection and seamless detailing.
It creates a feeling of space through clever planning, materials selection and seamless detailing.
How do the old and new parts of the home sit together?
Timber is used extensively as a feature in the new parts of the home to create a continuous transition between old and new – upstairs, downstairs and as a highlight on the facade.
The new addition extends the footprint of the original home and creates more space. Small character details are respected and enhanced throughout.
Timber is used extensively as a feature in the new parts of the home to create a continuous transition between old and new – upstairs, downstairs and as a highlight on the facade.
The new addition extends the footprint of the original home and creates more space. Small character details are respected and enhanced throughout.
The new ensuite upstairs
Why choose bold patterned tiles for the ensuite when the rest of the scheme is so muted?
We thought it would be fun to play with some colour and pattern in the bathroom. We love the retro look of these tiles and how they reflect the existing terrazzo and patterned tiles at the entry. A happy accident was discovering they also reflect the external red brick tiles of the surrounding roofs.
What are the key features of the new extension and renovation?
Why choose bold patterned tiles for the ensuite when the rest of the scheme is so muted?
We thought it would be fun to play with some colour and pattern in the bathroom. We love the retro look of these tiles and how they reflect the existing terrazzo and patterned tiles at the entry. A happy accident was discovering they also reflect the external red brick tiles of the surrounding roofs.
What are the key features of the new extension and renovation?
- A light-enhancing void over the stairway.
- Feature windows.
- A connection to the garden.
- A natural materials palette.
- Simple yet modern design.
Interior materials palette
Exterior materials palette
Paint colours
- Woodcut engineered-timber flooring in Voss.
- Surface Gallery matt mosaic tiles in Revolve Ash to bathroom floors.
- Classic Ceramics glazed ceramic tiles in Piemonte to bathroom walls.
- Caesarstone Fresh Concrete to benchtops.
- Alabaster veneer joinery from Slice Veneers.
Exterior materials palette
- Iron ash laminated-timber pergola beams from Mortlock Timber.
- Select Grade silvertop-ash timber decking from Mortlock Timber.
- Exterior timber cladding in iron ash.
Paint colours
- Dulux Lexicon Quarter to walls (apart from bedroom walls and tiled bathroom walls).
- Dulux Terrace White to bedroom walls.
- Joinery finished in a combination of Dulux Lexicon Quarter and Terrace White.
Fixtures, fittings and furniture
- Franke Verona Pullout Sink Mixer in Black.
- Miele oven, dishwasher, range hood and gas cooktop.
- Caroma semi-recessed basin.
- Sterling rectangular bath.
- Liano Nexus matt-black taps to bathrooms.
- Methven Krome twin-rail shower.
- Weber built-in barbecue.
- Totem Road Luxa Round Dining Table in solid oak.
- Thonet No.811 Hoffmann dining chairs in Natural.
- Living Edge Nerd Bar Stools in Oak.
- Gubi Ronde pendant in Pigeon Grey matt aluminium in living room.
- House of Orange large wicker pendant lamp in dining room.
Your turn
Are you as impressed with this renovation and addition as we are? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to see more great renovations? Don’t miss this Project of the Week, Tight Squeeze: A Genius Solution for a Narrow, Hemmed-In Site
Are you as impressed with this renovation and addition as we are? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to see more great renovations? Don’t miss this Project of the Week, Tight Squeeze: A Genius Solution for a Narrow, Hemmed-In Site
Answers by Sophie Solomon, principal architect at ssd studio
Who lives here: A holiday house shared by two families, one with three adult children
Location: Bondi Beach, NSW
Size of the house originally: 102 square metres
Size of the house after works: 133 square metres
Architect: ssd studio
Builder: MJ Minard
Joiner: Inwood Custom Cabinets
Landscaping: A Total Concept Landscape Architects
Did you or the client use Houzz for this project? Yes, we used Houzz for inspiration for the new design.